Past Presidential Speaker: Ingrid Betancourt

Presidential Speaker Series

EVEN SILENCE HAS AN END:
My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle

Featured Ingrid Betancourt on Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Ingrid Betancourt

As a political activist in the 1990s, Ms. Betancourt worked actively to curb drug trafficking and corruption in Colombia, and she gained international recognition as an advocate for democracy. During her campaign for President in Colombia, Ingrid was taken hostage by FARC guerrillas in 2002 and dramatically rescued from the jungle more than six years later by the Colombian army. Ingrid considers her release a miracle and, despite many degradations suffered during captivity, that her endurance was possible due to her faith in God. Her presentation will focus on her life experience and an ongoing campaign to free hostages still held by the FARC in the Colombian rain forest.

Gonzaga maintains interest in Colombia, exchanging faculty and educational programs as part of the Society of Jesus Oregon Province Twinning Agreements, which include the Colombia Province. We are pleased to provide our community with a unique opportunity to hear from an individual whose life has been immutably intertwined with the dark political realities in Colombia, and we hope to inspire resolve toward similar issues across the globe by sharing Ingrid Betancourt’s message.